The Big Tech Show: Are we wrong to care about Facebook privacy screwups?

The Big Tech Show: Are we wrong to care about Facebook privacy screwups?

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Do people really care if Facebook does unwarranted things with our personal data?

Are we, in the press, simply overestimating how much it bothers people?

The latest privacy breach involves the company saying it ‘mistakenly’ uploaded the private email contacts of 1.5m people.

It has also admitted that millions, not thousands, of Instagram passwords were stored in plain language.

But it’s all being greeted by a big ‘meh’ from the public. Other than a few campaigning media outlets and privacy activists, thi+e latest revelations appear to barely bother anyone.

Have we just become numb to a neverending stream of Facebook privacy screwups? Or does the company’s unmoved account membership figures suggest that people see the breaches but conclude that it’s a price worth paying for the utility they get out of it?

They also look at the Irish data protection commissioner’s recent guidance to schools, where the watchdog said bishops and principals who tell parents that they can’t take photos at school events simply “because of GDPR” are wrong.

And they consider the wider legal and ethical implications of when taking photos is and isn’t okay.